简体网站 | 繁体网站

心灵/自我启发

  • 酒后观鸟:骑车穿越美国寻找鸟类及疗愈
  • Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery
  • 作者:Dorian Anderson
  • 出版社代理人:Chelsea Green(美国)
  • 出版时间:2023年11月
  • 页数:272页
  • 已售版权:
  • 版权联系人:tina@peonyliteraryagency.com
内容介绍

  

在个人生活和职业生涯的十字路口,一名男子重新开始生活,找到了清醒、爱情和 618 种鸟类,骑车迎接了一个非常重要的一年。


Dorian Anderson是一位生活压力巨大的神经科学研究员,他离开了精英机构、研究实验室和学术出版界。在离开的过程中,他爱上了观鸟,并发现自己已经解脱出来,可以拥抱自己一生的热爱——观鸟。


北美大年——一场横跨大陆的探险,观鸟者试图在十二个月内看到尽可能多的物种——在任何情况下都是一项艰巨的任务。但骑自行车同时保持清醒?那是下一个层次。


当Dorian骑车穿越全国,描述他看到的鸟类时,他面临着长途骑行的挑战:恶劣的天气、爆胎、超速行驶的汽车和受伤。他遇到了古怪的人物、炎热的柏油路、沉闷的酒店房间、咆哮的狗和无尽的冒烟排气管。他还面对了过去与酒精、毒品和危险行为的斗争,这些斗争始于高中,一直持续到成年。


《酒后观鸟》坦诚地讲述了道林的双重生活:学业成就和毒瘾。虽然他的康复之旅既令人心酸又鼓舞人心,但最终,他对鸟类和大自然的热爱为他搭建了全新而完全不同的生活。


关于作者:

An avid birder since childhood, Dorian Anderson abandoned his hobby at age 15, focusing instead on a demanding scientific career while simultaneously struggling with substance abuse. He earned a degree in molecular and cellular biology from Stanford, conducted predoctoral research in molecular embryology at Harvard, and earned his doctorate in Developmental Genetics and Molecular Cell Biology at New York University. While working as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dorian decided to leave the academic rat race and focused on the next phase of his life, returning to birding. In 2014, he embarked on his Biking for Birds project, the first North American Big Year completed entirely by bicycle. During this incredible journey, he biked 17,830 miles (28,500 km) and observed 618 bird species while raising funds for bird habitat conservation. Since his cycling Big Year, he has transitioned to a professional life as a birding guide, writer, and public speaker.


好评:

"One hell of a ride."―Nick Offerman, actor, woodworker, New York Times bestselling author


"With a fresh infusion of adventure, danger, and personal growth. . . .[Anderson brings] a story that is both a joy to read and fodder for reflection. . . . [and] it has inspired me to new hopes for my birding."―Birding Magazine, American Birding Association


"Candid and often moving reflections . . . make for absorbing reading. . . . [This is] a memoir of a journey that was more than just a chase after numbers."―Booklist (starred)


"An uplifting and hopeful memoir and social commentary about healing . . . [Birding Under the Influence] is an interesting exploration of the extreme ends that one man went to to overcome his twin demons of alcohol and drug addiction by redirecting his addictive Type-A personality into more healthy pursuits. . . . [It also] provide[s] an interesting glimpse into regional American subcultures."―Forbes


“A story led by the bike and fueled by his tenacity, Dorian colorfully articulates the depth to which putting in the work―both physically on the bike, and emotionally on oneself―reaps infinite rewards.”―Tiffany Kirsten, birding guide and past Lower 48 U.S. Continental Big Year record holder




“What an incredible story! Dorian’s adventure is an inspiration for birders and non-birders alike.”―David Lindo, author of The Urban Birder




“Birding Under the Influence is an incredible story. This has to be the best Big Year book since Kingbird Highway. Of course, being a Dutchman, a bicycle Big Year really appealed to me, so I was already looking forward to this book. But this story proved to be so much more. It is not just a cycling journey of 17,800 miles across the US(!), a country that has, unlike the Netherlands, hardly any cycling paths and a lot more relief, but it is a journey through the mind and the soul. It is a coming-of-age story unlike anything I’ve read before. I know what it takes to do a Big Year―the sacrifices, the willpower needed, the risks involved, and the stress on yourself and your relationships. To do this on a bike and put your academic career behind you while recovering from alcohol and drug addiction is something else. I read this incredible story in one go, and I think you will too.”―Arjan Dwarshuis, author of The (Big) Year That Flew By




“Dorian is a big personality with an even bigger story. His epic tale of recovery and perseverance will inspire any birder, whether or not their Big Year dreams involve cycling across the continent.”―Nate Swick, American Birding Association podcast host and author of The Beginner’s Guide to Birding




“Dorian tells it like it is: don’t let life happen to you, no matter what your tendencies and what well-worn grooves you slide into. Life is what you create, accepting your faults and challenges, and realizing that the path forward is not how you plan it―instead, it happens how you least imagined it. And as in any wonderful, gripping story, great birding was involved!”―Alvaro Jaramillo, owner and guide, Alvaro’s Adventures




“Recounting a starkly different kind of ‘Big Year’ Dorian details an unlikely saga that takes a toll on him, physically and mentally. So often birding is a quest, and in this memoir Dorian Anderson seeks birds but also some sense of self. At times throwing himself on the mercy of his fellow Americans, he finds his way through and across the country, enlisting a colorful cast of characters as he goes. For this one year his only commitment is to his bicycle. His bike both frees and imprisons him simultaneously, but eventually it delivers him, along with a unique story. America’s sweetest wildlife spectacles light a path that would otherwise be strewn with 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor and rails of cocaine. From Snowy Owls in Boston to Yellow-footed Gulls in California’s Salton Sea, saddle up for a modern journey that harkens back to classic birding adventures, like those of Pete Dunne in The Feather Quest or to Wild America by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher.”―George Armistead, founder and guide, Hillstar Nature




“This is no ordinary Big Year birding book, as Dorian’s story supersedes birds and reveals how a year of contemplation, biking, and birding helped him to overcome his inner struggles of addiction and broken relationships that are all too relatable for many of us. Many of us are reluctant to hit the ‘pause’ button on life, afraid of what that might lead to, but Dorian’s example of setting aside a year to process his thoughts, relationships, and future is an example for us, and birding might just be the adventure we need, even for a day or two.”―Luke Safford, Director of Engagement and Education, Tucson Audubon




"Birding Under the Influence is a fresh memoir filled with insights into addiction, recovery, and birding―a story about how taking a closer look at the earth helped to recalibrate a man’s struggling soul."―Foreword Reviews




"There are many big year novels, as birders tell how they tried to see as many species of birds in a year as they can, but Anderson’s self-powered attempt covers novel challenges and encounters. Among the physical and mental challenges of birding and biking across the country, Anderson also recounts his experience finding sobriety – another tale of nature’s many cures."―Portland Press Herald




"[Anderson] is a marvelous writer and, boy, does he have a tale to tell."―The Denver Post "In the Know"